Early Experiences Demonstrate Positive Impact of Dementia Care Program

Researchers recently shared early experiences from the implementation of the UCLA Alzheimer’s and Dementia Care Program in health systems across the United States in an effort to identify common barriers to innovative solutions.

“Despite many obstacles to dissemination, with local champions and technical assistance, successful innovations in dementia care can be implemented in diverse health systems,” wrote study authors.

Researchers measured site-identified goals for the program, number of adopting sites, indicators of success, and participants in their programs.

The study was conducted from January 2019 to December 2021, during which 80 sites showed interest in implementing the program. Of the 14 (18%) sites that adopted the program, 10 sites have begun caring for patients.

As part of a randomized clinical trial, an additional 4 sites have adopted the program. More than 1690 patients living with dementia and their caregivers have received Alzheimer and dementia care via the program since the beginning of the study.

“Key lessons from the early dissemination efforts include the importance of identifying a strong product champion at the adopting site, creating a business case for adoption, training of clinical staff, and adapting the model to fit local cultures and workflow,” concluded study authors, “as well as recognizing the likely long length of time needed for the decision to adopt and implementation process.”

Whether other sites can be adopted to achieve comparable outcomes to the original program and bring the program to full scale has yet to be determined.

Reference:

Reuben DB, Chang Evertson L, Jackson-Stoeckle R, et al. Dissemination of a successful dementia care program: lessons to facilitate spread of innovations. J Am Geriatr Soc. Published online June 9, 2022. doi:10.1111/jgs.17900